Vision 1 Motorsports secured their first-ever VSCA SportsCar Championship win in a high-stakes Petit Le Mans battle, the final race of the series’ ten-round season and the fifth round of the Endurance Cup.
The 10-hour endurance race, held at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, unfolded under perfect weather, with a 21°C (70°F) start and partly cloudy skies. As the day transitioned to night, the two final hours of racing in darkness added an additional layer of intensity that Petit Le Mans is so famous for.
Vision 1 Motorsports drivers Kyle Allen and Mario Cappellucci overcame the challenge of starting from eighth on the grid, crossing the finish line with a narrow 2.864-second lead in the end, based on official results. The victory came with an unexpected advantage as key rivals faced penalties in a race defined by caution flags, incidents, and strategy calls that broke or made races.
Caution Flags Shape the Race Strategy
A total of four full-course yellows totaling 52 minutes of the race also had a significant impact on the LMP2 field. The first caution period came out just one hour and 23 minutes in, with three more occurring as the race wore on. These interruptions presented opportunities for teams to adjust strategies, with some capitalizing on well-timed pit stops and others struggling to regain momentum. Vision 1 Motorsports expertly navigated these caution periods, maintaining a steady pace that paid dividends in the final hours.
Gowin Racing’s #18 Dallara P217 led a race-high 265 laps, continuing to show they are and were one of the LMP2 class top performers all year long, yet the team finished in fourth place following a series of penalties. The team entered the race with a narrow 43-point gap to the #46 Rising Panda Racing team, but a total of three 30-second post-race penalties left them heartbroken.
Intense Battle and Penalties Define the Closing Hours
As dusk descended, the tension on track was palpable, especially between championship contenders Rising Panda Racing and Gowin Racing. The #46 Rising Panda Racing Dallara, piloted by Christian Campregher, Remy Loesch, and Piers Stockton, started from pole after Campregher’s swift 1:09.461 lap secured the top qualifying spot. During a late-race restart following the third caution period, however, Rising Panda was hit with a 60-second post-race penalty for an early acceleration, a controversial move that saw the #18 Gowin Racing Dallara team file a report with race control.
Vision 1’s victory was further secured as late-race incidents impacted other podium contenders. The #123 Tri-State Racing Dallara incurred a one-lap and 30-second penalty for an infraction, and the #048 SCOWRS Esses Racing team had to make an unscheduled pit stop with just minutes to go, allowing Vision 1 Motorsports to make their maiden victory a joyous reality.
"We are very proud of our race today. Our whole team has been working together very well and we are extremely happy with the win.", said Kyle Allen.
"To be honest, we went into the race knowing that it was going to be a long battle from the start. I'm not sure why exactly, but we were down on speed during the daytime, but we kept it clean for Mario to bring it home with an incredible last stint during the night. That was amazing."
Allen's team-mate Mario Cappellucci, with a big smile on his face in victory lane, join in by saying: "Yeah, the biggest thing for us was just staying clean. Car repairs have been our biggest set back this year and just making sure we finished with no damage was our biggest challenge going into this race. It was a mess out there at different times but Kyle did an amazing job staying patient and making moves at the correct times."
"This year was a great year for us. We took the first couple races off to focus on other things but realized that VSCA is where we wanted to be. I'm very glad we got back into in the series, honestly."
"It feels amazing to get the win for not only the first in VSCA but our first as a team! It’s been a journey and a lot of learning to get to this point and just happy we were able to get the result we been longing for."
Top Ten Finishers wrap up intense LMP2 season
The #46 Rising Panda Racing car, despite their late penalty, managed to hold onto second place with a composed drive from Campregher, Loesch, and Stockton. SCOWRS Esses Racing’s #048 car, driven by Rein de Boer, Kyle Granger, and Julian Manikus, rounded out the podium after running competitively throughout the day.
Fourth place went to Gowin Racing’s #18 car, with Nicholas and Josh Gowin and Jack Hedgcoxe taking their Dallara as high as the lead before penalties disrupted their race and any hope to claim the championship.
Tri-State Racing’s #123 car finished fifth after also incurring a post-race penalty, while the #47 Rising Panda Racing car with Maxime Liénard and Ryan Ware took sixth. Vulture Motorsports’ #216 Dallara secured seventh, followed by the #14 Fischer Motorsport in eighth and GSE Racing eSports’ #86 in ninth place, though the latter was disqualified after exceeding the incident limit on lap 365.
Championship Titles Decided with Petit Le Mans Conclusion
In the season’s final standings, Rising Panda Racing’s #46 claimed the LMP2 SportsCar Championship with 4,185 points, despite their penalty in the Petit Le Mans. Gowin Racing’s #18 ended the season in second, 128 points behind, with Tri-State Racing’s #123 securing third, 661 points adrift. Rising Panda Racing’s #46 also took home the Endurance Cup, edging out Gowin Racing in the standings by nine points.
The 2024 Petit Le Mans delivered a fitting end to an action-packed season, and Vision 1 Motorsports’ long-awaited win sets high expectations for 2025. As the LMP2 teams reflect on a grueling season, the race underscored the importance of both strategic mastery and split-second decisions.
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